By Petar Meseldzija

During my studies at the art academy I once heard the teacher saying that a painting is considered finished only after
it is framed. In the past, many artists used to frame their paintings before
they applied the final layer in order to make a perfect match between the two.
Beside it’s aesthetic purpose, frame’s
primary function is to separate two different realities, the reality of the art
work, and the reality of the surrounding space.  

I must admit that I
do not frame my paintings before they are finished; on a few occasions I even
repainted the frame so that it worked better with the painting. But I never
forgot my teacher’s lesson about the importance of a frame. However, choosing an
appropriate frame for my pictures has always been a challenge and I must say I
am not very good in that.

For the past few
years I did many commissioned paintings. Most of these paintings were delivered
unframed.  And because I am always interested
in how the “finished” painting looks like, I often ask the client to send me a photo of the framed painting. I also like to see where and
how my “babies” hang for I know I will never see most of them again. This
makes me a little sad sometimes.
 

 



 
In front of a small portion of their huge collection, Gregg and Yvette Spatz, with Shadow Comes behind
 




The Rescuer preliminary drawing hanging next to an original Tarzan page by Burne Hogarth

Jean and Morgan Bantly in front of a part of their collection, with Gandalf behind